Auxiliary lubricant and vapor heating system for internal combustion engines



Jan. 8, 1957 R. H. MASTERS 2,776,551

AUXILIARY LUBRICANT AND VAPOR HEATING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES Filed May 11, 1953 INVENTOR. 9 V 1 Mnar'zs ym W fiha assemblies.

United States Patent '0 ce Ray H. Masters, Huntington Park, Calif.

Application May 11, 1953, Serial No. 354,205

7 Claims. (Cl. 123-4425) My invention relates generally to improvementsin internal combustion engines, and more particularly to an auxiliaryvapor heating system for maintaining exposed covers and other wallsurfaces atthe engine operating temperature.

In an internal combustion engine lubrication of the crankshaft, pistons,connecting rods and bearings is, of course, essential, but it is alsonecessary to lubricate the valve mechanisms, camshafts, timing gears,and the like. For this reason, oil is pumped from the crankcase tovarious lubrication points in the engine, from whence it flows back intothe crankcase. Of necessity, various working chambers within the engineare thus open to the crankcase, and the lubricating oil is subject tocontamination and dilution by reason of the impurities picked up duringits travel.

Among the chambers or working spaces open to the crankcase are those inwhich are mounted the valve camshaft, lifters, push rods, and valvestems. In the case of an overhead valve engine, space is also providedfor the mounting of the rocker arm shaft and rocker arm Anotherimportant chamber which is open to the crankcase is the timing gear orgear chain space. All of the aforementioned chambers are normally closedby external cover plates which have large areas exposed to the outsideair, are cooled rapidly, and are normally considerably below theoperating temperature of the engine block and crankcase. Consequently,they present a relatively cold wall surface in the chamber which theyclose.

In addition to the oil circulatingthrough the lubrication system,volatile gases and products of combustion from the combustion chambersenter the open spaces within the engine as a result of piston blowby andvalve leakage. Such gases include water vapor, raw or unburned fuel, andexhaust vapors. Outside air containing dust and other contaminatingsubstances is also introduced into the engine. Thus, in any of thechambers in which the liquid lubricating oil is covering the movingparts, the oil is subject to intimate contact with various gases ladenwith substances which, if condensed into the liquid oil, form emulsionsand sludge as well as destroying the lubricating qualities of the oil.In particular, the rapid condensation of the mixture of gases present inthe engine causes oxidation which results in the formation of highlycorrosive acid compounds. All of this impairs the efficiency of thelubricating system, causes additional friction and wear, so as todecrease the power output of the engine, and reduces its useful life.

Because volatile gas vapors and steam are harmful if allowed to remainin the engine, it is conventional to provide an engine breather tube toremove the vapor, but such a breather is only partially effective, andthere are necessarily large volumes of vapors circulating through theopen spaces of the engine at all times. To reduce the harmful effect ofthese vapors, I provide auxiliary heating means which tend to .keep allof the circulating vapors at a temperature approaching -.the operatingtern Patented Jan. 8, 1957 perature of the engine. Thus, the volatileimpurities in the gas vapor will not condense into the crankcase to harmthe lubricating oil and form the excessive sludge deposits which are agreat source of trouble in present day engines.

In applying this principle to a preferred embodiment of the invention, Ihave selected the exposed cover plates as highly desirable points atwhich to apply auxiliary heat. Instead of presenting cold wall surfaceswhich tend to condense the gas vapors within the valve chambers, and thelike, the covers become heat transfer surfaces which heat any cold gasvapors, and maintain all of the gases at such a temperature thatcondensation is reduced to a minimum. The source of heat may be any formof auxiliary heat supplied by the engine. For example, the relativelyhot engine cooling liquid may be used, or heat may be extracted from theexhaust gases. The use of these increases the thermal efliciency of theengine as well as maintaining the gas vapors at an elevated temperature.

As can be appreciated, the invention may be utilized.

on any type of internal combustion engine both from a standpoint of theform of fuel used, and the design and construction of the engine. pointsat which to appiy heat is variable and it may be done on any or allexposed cover plates which are normally cold surfaces.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a major object of my invention toprovide heating means for an internal com-- bustion engine whichmaintains the gas vapors within the engine open spaces at an elevatedtemperature.

Another object of my invention is to provide vapor heating means whichutilize an auxiliary source of heat from the engine, and therebyincrease the thermal effipreventing rapid condensation of the gaseousmixtures present in the engine.

It is also an object of the invention to provide heating:

means to heat the exposed cold spots of the engine such as the variousexposed covers which close auxiliary enginev chambers opening into thecrankcase.

A further object of the invention is to provide vapor heating meanswhich can be economically installed on.

existing engines and easily removed for servicing the: engine.

Still another object of my invention is to provide heat-- ing means ofthe character described, which direct the:

flow of heating fluid through extended passageways in contact with theheat transfer surface to provide maximum heat transfer thereto.

A still further object of my invention is to provide vapor heating meanswhich are simply and durably constructed for trouble-free service.

These and other objects and advantages of my invertion will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of apreferredembodiment thereof, and from an inspection of the accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an engine having my vapor heatingequipment installed thereon;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the upper rocker armcover and heater;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the side valve cover and heater;

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the timing gear cover and heater.

In describing my invention I have chosen to illustrate Likewise, theselection of' it in connection with a gasoline engine of the overheadvalve type. This type of engine is particularly susceptible to theformation of sludge and contamination of the lubricating oil because ithas a large upper chamber closed by a thin-walled cover in which the oillubricating the rocker arm assemblies is subject to contact withcondensing gas vapors. It is to be understood, however, that the sameprinciples are applicable to other gasoline engine designs and to dieselengines as well.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, thenumeral designates a typical engine block having a lower crankcase oroil sump 11. On the front of block 10 is mounted a belt driven fan andgenerator assembly 12, as well as a water pump 14 and radiator inlethose 15. Since the illustrative engine is of the overhead valve type, ithas an upper rocker arm assembly which is externally closed by anelongated rectangular cover 16 which seats downwardly against block 10and defines an internal space 17 to receive the rocker arm assembly.Lubricating oil from the crankcase is pumped upwardly to lubricate therocker arm shafts and bearings within space 17, and then flowsdownwardly through block 10 back into crankcase 11. This necessitatespassages or openings between space 17 and crankcase 11.

Within space 17 is a mixture of hot gaseous vapors, which includes watervapor, raw and unburned gasoline vapors, dust from outside air and othercontaminating substances. So long as these vapors do not condense theyare subject to removal by the engine breather without harm to thelubricating oil. However, if the gaseous vapors condense, sludge andemulsions form, and the lighter oil fractions dilute the lubricatingoil. Such harmful condensation will take place when the gaseous vaporsare in contact with a cold wall surface.

In order to prevent the condensation of vapors within space 17, I formcover 16 integral with heating means so that the interior wall surfaceof the cover instead of being cold, acts as a heat transfer surface. Fora heating medium, I prefer to use the hot water circulating through theengine cooling system. This fluid is maintained at an operatingtemperature of 140 to 160 F. and is therefore considerably hotter thanthe ambient air. Other sources of heat from the engine may also be usedsuch as the hot exhaust gases, which are especially desirable to use onheavier fuel engines.

Hot water is withdrawn from block 10 through a rear fitting 20 connectedto a T fitting 21 having one leg connected to a cover intake hose 22.The interior construc tion of cover 16 is best seen in Figs. 2 to 4.Cover 16 is formed of double wall construction having an outer wall orshell 23 spaced outwardly from a similar inner wall or shell 24. Theshells 23 and 24 are sealed together at the bottom by a bottom flange 25which extends outwardly and is adapted to fit tightly against the top ofblock 10. Both shells are easily formed of stamped sheet metalconstruction.

In the rear top portion of outer shell 23 is an intake fitting 27connected to hose 22, while a similar outlet fitting 28 is mounted inthe front bottom portion of the shell. Outlet fitting 28 is in turnconnected to radiator inlet hose by a short connecting hose 29. Betweenthe walls of shells 23 and 24, are a plurality of horizontal elongatedbaflles 32 which are open at alternate ends so as to provide a singletortuous passageway or flow path between inlet and outlet fittings 27and 28. The direction of flow is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. Ascan thus be seen, substantially the entire area of inner shell 24 formsa heat transfer surface in contact with the gas vapors within space 17.To complete cover 16, sleeves of heating fluid through the cover servesto maintain shell 24 at an elevated temperature and prevents the gasestherein from condensing. Since the heat used is auxiliary heat from theengine the thermal efficiency thereof is increased, while at the sametime the formation of sludge and contamination of the lubricating oil isreduced.

The same principle is also advantageously employed at other spaces whichare closed by an external cover plate. One of these is the space on theside of the engine block wherein is mounted the valve camshaft and valvelifters. This space is closed by a side cover 40 which is formed as adouble-walled heater as seen specifically in Figs. 5 and 6. Cover 40 hasa flat inner wall 41 and an outer wall 42 spaced outwardly therefrom byedge flanges 43 which are joined tightly to the inner wall. At the upperrear end of outer wall 42 is an inlet fitting 44, while at the bottomfront end is an outlet fitting 45. Inlet fitting 44 is connected to oneleg of T fitting 21 by a hose 47 and a hose 48 connects outlet fittingto the radiator return hose 15.

Within walls 41 and 42 are spaced transversely extending batfles 49which are open at alternate ends to define a tortuous flow path betweenfittings 44 and 45. The direction of fluid flow is shown by the arrowsin Fi g. 5. Thus, inner wall 41 becomes a heat transfer surface formaintaining gas vapors within the space closed by cover 40 at anelevated temperature. Since an engine breather pipe is often connectedto the side cover plate, cover 40 may carry a fitting 50 extendingthrough both walls 41 and 42, and adapted for connection to a breatherpipe 51. Also, sleeves 52 may be provided for sealing off openingsadapted to take installation bolts 53. As can be understood, theadvantages of this construction are the same as those previouslydescribed and need not be repeated.

As a further illustrative example, I provide a timing gear cover 56 forsealing the timing gear chamber at the front of block 10. The timinggear or timing chain space is again necessarily open into crankcase andreceives a supply of lubricating oil as well as gas vapors which arecirculating through the open spaces within engine block 10. Cover 56 isformed of double wall construction having an outer wall formed withintake and outlet fittings 57 and 58, respectively, as seen in Fig. 7.Outlet fitting 58 is connected to hose 48 by a short coupling 60, andinlet fitting is adapted to be connected to engine block 10 by a pipe 61(Fig. 1). Since cover 56 is of relatively small area, it is notessential to provide internal baffling means and the fluid is merelyconfined between the inner and outer walls While traveling between inletfitting 57 and outlet fitting 58. As can be appreciated since the waterfrom block 10 is at an elevated temperature, the inner wall of the coveracts as a heat transfer surface for maintaining the gas vapors in thetiming gear chamber at a temperature above the condensation point.

While I have thus shown and described particular embodiments of myinvention in some detail it is to be understood that changes of designand construction can be made without departing from the scope of theinvention. Therefore, I do not wish to be restricted except as definedin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An auxiliary vapor heater and rocket arm assembly cover for a liquidcooled internal combustion engine comprising: an elongated inner shellshaped to fit over said rocker arm assembly and in sealing engagementwith the engine block; an elongated outer shell spaced from said innershell and sealed thereto by edge flanges to define a closed fluidpassageway; means including intake and discharge fittings mounted at theend of said outer shell and adapted for connection to the return side ofthe engine cooling liquid system; and bafiier extending between saidinner and outer shells to define a tortuous path between said inlet andoutlet fittings.

2. An auxiliary vapor heater and side valve cover for a liquid cooledinternal combustion engine comprising: an elongated inner flat wallshaped to fit in sealing engagement with the opening in the side of theengine block; an elongated fiat outer wall spaced from said inner walland sealed thereto by edge flanges to define a closed fluid passageway;means including intake and discharge fittings mounted at the ends ofsaid outer wall and adapted for connection to the return side of theengine cooling liquid system; and bafiles extending between said innerand outer walls to define a tortuous path between said inlet and outletfittings.

3. An auxiliary vapor heater and timing gear cover for a liquid cooledinternal combustion engine comprising: an inner wall shaped to fit insealing engagement with the engine block to close the timing gearchamber; an elongated inner flat wall spaced from said inner wall andsealed thereto by edge flanges to define a closed fluid passageway; andmeans including intake and discharge fittings mounted at the ends ofsaid outer wall and adapted for connection to the return side of theengine cooling liquid system.

4. In a piston and cylinder type internal combustion engine having acrankcase, containing a reservoir lubricant; and another compartment,distinct from the cylinder and crankcase, through which the lubricantfrom the engine crankcase is circulated and which has removable covermeans for access and is principally vapor-filled while the engine isoperating; anti-condensation means for said compartment comprising: heattransfer surfaces on said cover means; and heating means associated withsaid heat transfer surfaces and adapted to be connected for operation bya source of heat from said engine.

5. A liquid-cooled piston and cylinder type internal combustion enginehaving a crankcase, containing a reservoir of lubricant; and anothercompartment, distinct from the cylinder and crankcase, through which thelubricant from the engine crankcase is circulated and which hasremovable cover means for access and is principally vapor-filled whilethe engine is operating; anti-condensation means for said compartmentcomprising: a heat transfer surface on said cover means; liquid heatingmeans mounted on said cover means; and means for connecting said heatingmeans to the return side of the engine cooling liquid system.

6. A liquid-cooled piston and cylinder type internal combustion enginehaving a crankcase, containing a reservoir of lubricant; and anothercompartment, distinct from the cylinder and crankcase, through which thelubricant from the engine crankcase is circulated and which has aremovable cover for access and is principally vapor-filled while theengine is operating; anti-condensation means for said compartmentcomprising: a cover having inner and outer walls joined together todefine a fluid passageway; and means for connecting said cover to thereturn side of the engine cooling liquid system.

7. A liquid-cooled piston and cylinder type internal combustion enginehaving a crankcase, containing a reservoir of lubricant; and anothercompartment, distinct from the cylinder and crankcase, through which thelubricant from the engine crankcase is circulated and which has aremovable cover for access and is principally vapor-filled while theengine is in operation; anti-condensation means for said compartmentcomprising: a cover having inner and outer walls joined together todefine a fluid passageway; means including intake and discharge fittingsmounted on said cover for connecting said cover to the return side ofthe engine cooling system; and bafile means between said inner and outercover walls to define a tortuous fluid path between said intake'anddischarge fittings, and in heat transfer contact with a substantial areaof said inner wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,363,500 Duesenberg et al Dec. 28, 1920 1,713,541 Larkin May 21, 19291,862,723 Summers June 14, 1932 2,122,585 Pollack et al. July 5, 19382,152,594 Klotsch Mar. 28, 1939 2,310,269 Waeber Feb. 9, 1943

